The ironic clash of high price and cheap subject matter couldn't be louder.
Mr. Warburton notes that a combination of high price, tenure in the marketplace and high volume are the keys to wide profit margins.
In the harrumphing from employers about the budget's "national living wage" (Retailers warn of high price, 9 July), it is worth pointing out that some think the chancellor has done absolutely the right thing.
"With last year's City bonuses fuelling demand and global economic growth set to continue, we anticipate at least another year of high price growth in prime markets, assuming that current uncertainty in financial markets is a short term issue".
Mayne plainly applied a dictionary sense of "precious" as "affectedly or excessively delicate, refined, or nice" and none of the alternatives: "of high price or great value"; "highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality"; "dear, beloved".
Andrew Wolf, a longtime grocery industry analyst at BB&T Capital Markets in Richmond, Va., said the perception of high price, even if untrue, "is very powerful," and can hurt the reputation of grocery chains, as it did in the late 1990's with Hannaford Brothers in Richmond, which was viewed, inaccurately he said, as more expensive than its discount rival, Food Lion.
Meanwhile, investors doubt the long-term sustainability of high prices.
Bill Gates dismisses criticism of high prices for vaccines Gates Foundation annual letter: what do you think?
Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney made the most of high prices in the spring.
Many feedlots took advantage of high prices last spring to ship cattle to meatpacking plants.
All parties want more home ownership, falling fast because of high prices.
